Whirlwind Tour
by caldera32
Summary: Normally he would simply roll over and try to eke out a few more moments of recumbence; but then, normally his window didn't explode as his shutters were torn out of the frame.
1. Do a Barrel Roll!

A/N: A bunch of random little bits have been flying through my head all week so I figured I'd finally type one out.  
This will likely be three chapters and they _should _be completed within the next few days.

Anyone else feel a sense of great victory when their word processor insists a word you typed doesn't exist, but then you prove it is by looking it up?  
And yes, I do pull up the dictionary page as if to mock Open Office with the presence of the word it doesn't acknowledge.

* * *

Merlin woke suddenly, a howling like that of a giant wounded beast filling his ears.

_This is what happens when I try to rest midday..._

Normally he would simply roll over and try to eke out a few more moments of recumbence; but then, normally his window didn't explode as his shutters were torn out of the frame.

This, understandably, was enough to bring him to full wakefulness at which point he realized the sheer _volume_ of the howling- and also that the room was moving in a way stationary buildings really should not.

He couldn't even hear himself screaming as the floor attempted to trade positions with the wall, sending him tumbling out of the bed which made a valiant effort to crush him against the formerly vertical surface.

The servant sent up silent thanks for his small amount of possessions before clambering over the cot and pulling himself up by the swinging cupboard door on his way to the main chamber.

"Gaius!"

The old man had been on his way out to the lower town when Merlin had settled down for his nap and he desperately hoped that's where he still was as his eyes beheld the destruction.

Worktables, books, and numberless glass objects had piled up against the new floor; several flammable items having crammed themselves into the still-lit hearth.  
Cursing freely (no one could hear anyway), he began stumbling across the debris in an attempt to forestall what would undoubtedly be a spectacular explosion.

Unfortunately for him the room chose that moment to perform some truly impressive rolling maneuvers, sending a flaming bench into a jumble of anatomy tomes which were all too happy to begin burning.

The warlock probably would have been tearing his hair out if he had even a shred of his wits left, but being tumbled about alongside a flaming conglomeration of questionable medical equipment with little regard for the laws of gravity did not do good things for one's ability to think logically.

The writing desk crashed into his left side and the pain of his newly broken arm gave him just enough focus to unleash his instinctive magic, slowing the surrounding world to a standstill.

Painfully pulling himself toward the door (properly vertical at the moment, though the floor was currently the ceiling), he crawled out into the corridor and began making his way down (up?) the stairwell.

It wasn't long before his hold on time failed and the spiraling resumed, sending the gangly young man head-over-heels. A few seconds of being sent up, down, and around the staircase was all it took for him to completely lose any lingering sense of presence- something that lost all meaning when he reached the end of the stairs.

Merlin had time for one last thought before the 'decorative' mace that had formerly been attached to the wall rendered him unconscious.

_I should have just latched myself in the cupboard and gone back to sleep._


	2. Vault of Heaven

A/N: Yeah, so this'll probably be more like four or five chapters- and I was so _sure _this time_._  
I should've known it was too good to be true.  
Anyway, Mood Switch!

* * *

Arthur rubbed his eyes, trying to stay awake as he stared at the mound of reports he still had to work through. He was beginning to regret his decision to give Merlin the afternoon off- even though the servant's prattle often distracted him from work it also made the whole mess more bearable.

Still, the thunderstorm beating on his window that morning had effectively scuppered plans for a day out on the training field and Merlin _had _been looking rather tired of late- not that he was keeping an eye on the man, of course.

The king was just about to push the whole pile of parchment onto the floor in disgust when a knock sounded at his door.

"Enter!" He called, desperately hoping for something to pull him away from this mind-numbing task.

Leon came through the door, standing at attention.

"What is it, Sir Leon?"

"Sire, the sky... well, perhaps it is better if you see for yourself."

Brow furrowed in confusion, Arthur turned and opened the door to his balcony.

"The sky is green."

And really, what else is there to say in this situation?

"Yes Sire, and the clouds- people are beginning to panic, thinking it's an attack."

"Hm."  
He was still absorbing the sight before him.  
A faintly green sky was visible in the sudden lack of heavy rain, oddly bubble-like clouds highlighting the absurdity of the situation.  
They bore a bizarre resemblance to soap suds clinging upside-down to the firmament, in fact.  
"I'm not entirely certain it isn't. I-"

A great crack of thunder rent the air and balls of ice ranging in size from throw-at-Merlin-small to Percival's-fist-huge pelted down on the city along with renewed rainfall, several of the chunks knocking colored panels from his glass doors.

"Spread the word- everyone is to get under cover. The castle is open to all for shelter."

"Yes, Sire."  
Leon turned to begin carrying out his orders.

"And tell them to stay away from the windows!"

* * *

Arthur was taking the longer route through the corridors to avoid crossing the courtyard in the tempest, a good thing since he was then able to intercept the very man he'd been looking for.

"Gaius!"

"Sire?"

The king pulled aside the elder so they were standing in a relatively private alcove.  
"Please tell me you have some idea what this is all about."

"I'm afraid this is outside of my knowledge, Sire. I have never seen or heard of the like."

He had been half-expecting that answer but nonetheless felt disappointment creeping up on him.  
"Do you think it could be a magical attack?"

The physician's brow wrinkled.  
"I suppose it _is_ possible, but highly unlikely. Influencing the weather to this extent would take a truly unbelievable amount of power. It-"

Whatever Gaius had been about to say was interrupted by a quickly-building buzzing noise.

"What is that?"  
It sounded like a giant cloud of bees...

Ignoring his own advice the royal crossed to a window and pushed it open for a full view of the raging tower of dark wind making its way through the city walls, a smaller funnel seeming to dance around the larger.

He watched in horror as an entire section of hewn stone was sucked into the atmosphere like so much chaff, the houses of the lower town beginning to follow.

"Into the catacombs."  
His voice was flat with dread as he gave the physician his command.  
"Tell everyone you see- get underground, now!"

The monarch rushed off, not waiting for a response as he ran toward the great hall where the castle's inhabitants would undoubtedly be gathering.

Crashing through the door he launched right into shouting.  
"All of you down into the crypts- quickly!"

Having initially hushed at the sudden entrance of their ruler, the people now began to panic.  
Chaos erupted as the human stampede made for the relative safety of the subterranean passages.

Arthur stayed by the doors, holding his position by sheer force of will as he surveyed the faces for- there!

"Guinevere!"

The queen was coming toward him, trying to maintain a semblance of calm.  
Fighting the flow, the blond grasped his wife to his chest for a moment before pulling her along behind him.

Wind screamed through the corridors, blending with the voices of the citizens fighting against the force of the air along with the various tapestries and rather more damaging items flying into them.

Eventually the group managed to pile into the poorly-lit tunnels, huddling together for warmth and comfort.

The noise was overpowering now, and Arthur had the capacity for only one thought.

_Where is Merlin?_


	3. Tornado Alley

A/N: This story began with two simple images- the one at the end of this chapter, and one of Merlin sliding along the floor as it turned vertical.  
Yes, from _those_ snippets came _that_ first chapter.

* * *

The sound and fury continued for an indeterminate amount of time as the people clung to each other in fear, but eventually the chaos began to fade away; wind dying out and only the infrequent rumble of falling debris reaching their ears.

After a few moments of silence punctuated by muffled whimpers and sniffles Arthur released his tight grip on his wife.

"I'm going to go check-" he searched the space for his fellow knights "Sir Leon, with me."

Curly hair bounced as the man nodded and immediately moved to join his commander.  
The two made their way up the steps, avoiding the sporadic piles of rubble to emerge in the wreckage of the castle proper.

They stared in shock at the pieces of wall-hangings, furniture, and personal belongings littering the floor.  
Everywhere they looked doors and windows were open, broken, or completely removed with the contents of the rooms forcibly rearranged.

As they progressed, however, the damage became less extensive- only small and light items having been relocated.

Looking outside there was no sign of further ill weather- the sky was once again blue, just beginning to darken with the approaching night, and only a few wispy clouds remained.

The monarch gestured to his knight.  
"Let's return and gather the people- we need to start doing repairs and searching for other survivors."

"Yes Sire."

* * *

Gaius was one of the first out of the crypts, verifying the good health of everyone who had sheltered under the castle before beginning the trip to his quarters to gather supplies.

"Ah, Gaius- I'd like to ask you to set up a temporary infirmary here in the courtyard to handle any injured. You'll be given assistants as soon as the volunteers are gathered."

He hesitated a moment before continuing to ask the worry-filled question he had shoved to the back of his mind.

"Gaius... do you know where Merlin is?"

"He was about to lie down for a rest when-"  
The physician had raised his head to look at something behind the king and was now standing with eyes wide and mouth agape.

"What is it?" The king asked, turning to behold what had so thoroughly captured the elder's attention.

An entire tower had been torn from the castle and was nowhere to be seen.  
The tower that housed the court physician's chambers  
The chambers Merlin had been inside, sleeping

* * *

"I want teams of four to scour the town. Every able-bodied citizen is to assist in the rescue efforts. I need two men with me- Percival, Gwaine! We are going to follow the path of that thing and see what destruction it has wrought."

The two knights nodded, knowing they were actually going to search for Merlin.

Everyone leapt into action without complaint, work parties dividing to cover the lower town while maids and kitchen workers saw to the necessary support activities of preparing beds and meals.

Arthur nodded in satisfaction, kissing Guinevere and leaving her in command alongside Leon as he departed with Gwaine and Percival.

* * *

The trail was, of course, absurdly easy to follow.  
The column of wind had torn past the castle and back out the city walls, cutting a wide path through the surrounding forest and leaving behind bare earth, uprooted trees, and the occasional pieces of buildings from Camelot.

They were almost a mile out and still there was no sign of the tower or Merlin, Arthur's steady facade was beginning to wear thin.

Then Gwaine's head jerked up and he rushed ahead, cresting a small hill and gazing into the relatively undisturbed remainder of the wood.  
"Arthur- it's here!" And he continued running, not bothering to wait for his companions.

The king's breath caught as the structure came into view, firmly planted upright in the soil.

"We'll have to go in through the windows."  
Gwaine called, already climbing through one whose panes were missing.

The trio made their way cautiously up the partial staircase, calling for their friend.

"Merlin?"

"Merlin!"

They heard no reply and so it isn't surprising that they burst into the familiar chambers in a bit of a frenzy, stopping in their tracks to survey the damage before them.

Nothing remained of the homey space they had come to know, everything had been gathered up and hurled about without care- some of it still smoldering with the remains of the hearth fire.

Picking their way across the blackened floor, they opened the door to the storeroom; finding only the bed, desk, and chair shoved against one wall along with a few bits of their friend's clothing.

"Where is he..."  
Arthur muttered in a broken voice, not even realizing he had said it aloud until Percival clapped him lightly on the shoulder.

"We'll keep on searching the tower, Sire."

The blond nodded absently, despair beginning to overtake his thoughts.

He was still standing in the wreckage of his servant's meager belongings when the two knights returned, regretfully reporting Merlin was not inside.

Arthur drew in a deep breath, releasing it all at once and relaxing his shoulders in an attempt to exorcise his increasingly powerful emotions.  
"We'll search the forest, moving out from this point in a spiral. We'll find him."

"Yes Sire."  
The two knights agreed, neither one wanting to give up on their friend.

* * *

It was a good thing Percival had had the presence of mind to salvage a torch from the tower, for they were still searching after night had well and truly fallen.  
Tired and becoming ever more hopeless, the king tripped over a root and stumbled into a tree.

When their leader continued to press his forehead into the bark instead of righting himself, his companions inquired worriedly "Sire?"

"Where is he?"  
He repeated quietly, sounding small and lost.

Gwaine and Percival were silent, already struggling with their own feelings.

A drop of wetness hit his neck and the royal started in surprise.  
"Is the rain returning?"

"Sire?"

"Something-"  
He looked up, what he saw freezing him in place.

A pale hand dangled from the branches above, blood pooling in the slightly curved palm and dripping slowly from one long finger.

_Merlin_


	4. Recovery

A/N: Suddenly and inexplicably my apartment smells like blue cheese.  
I don't like it.

* * *

Merlin was draped across the limbs of the tree almost tenderly, as if being carried by the rough branches; head thrown back with his other arm resting on his stomach.

Arthur watched with rapt attention as Gwaine climbed the tree (claiming he was the lightest and therefor least likely to overburden the branches) and passed the servant down into Percival's waiting arms.

If it weren't for the sickening lump sprouting out the side of his head and the great bleeding gash on his broken arm the king would think him simply asleep, his expression was so serene. His breath caught once more.

"He isn't-"

He couldn't even bring himself to finish the question.

Shifting his grip on the thin man, Percival placed a hand on his chest and then his neck.  
"No, just unconscious. I think it's safe to move him- we should hurry back to Gaius."

Gwaine chose that moment to drop out of the tree right next to Arthur, who jumped slightly.

The blond glared at the long-haired knight before replying.  
"Agreed, let us make haste."

* * *

A small crowd of concerned onlookers swarmed the group as they re-entered the city- all of them waved aside by Gwaine and Arthur as they escorted Percival and his passenger to the temporary infirmary in the courtyard, skirting around upturned flagstones to do so.

"Merlin!" Gaius called, just as Guinevere shouted "Arthur!"

There was a flurry of activity as a bed was cleared for the servant while Gwen and Gaius descended on the young man with wet cloths and bandages in-hand.

"We found him in a tree- his arm is broken and cut up, the bump on his head is the only other thing we noticed."

"Thank you Sire, if you could help me get his shirt off-"  
Luckily the jacket had been removed prior to lying down for his nap.

Arthur pulled the dagger from his belt and carefully cut the sleeve away from his friend's mangled limb, silently promising to get him a new tunic as he worked the rest of the garment off the prone body.

All present sucked in a breath at the sight of the nasty bruise spreading across the otherwise pale chest- presumably from the impact of whatever had broken his arm.

Gaius pressed gently on his ward's ribs, glad to find none had been damaged.  
"If you two could brace him? I need to set the bone."

Gwaine and Percival took careful hold of their friend, looking away as the appendage was maneuvered back into place.  
Merlin let out a short scream then, eyes popping open and looking around wildly for a moment before settling on his guardian.

"What-?"

"Merlin, can you tell me how many fingers I'm holding up?"

"Fingers?" All he could make out was a flesh-colored blob.

"Hm." He turned to the knights and monarchs.  
"I'll need you to make sure he stays awake while I prepare some potions for him. Ensure he doesn't try to move- he's likely quite confused because of that head wound."

"What?"

"Precisely."

Shaking his head, the elder shuffled off toward the makeshift workbench that had been cobbled together from the loose barrels and planks strewn about by the winds.  
For a moment Arthur felt guilty that he hadn't even _thought_ about bringing any of the physician's supplies back with them- but then realized it was likely all broken anyway.

"Wha-tappened?" Merlin slurred, turning his bleary gaze on the other figures surrounding him.

"There was some kind of windstorm... it tore up the city and left- taking you with it."

"Oh" the servant replied calmly, clearly not understanding what he had just been told but still satisfied with the answer.

After Gaius had set the arm Gwen had taken over cleaning it and finished treating the sluggishly-bleeding cut just in time to see Merlin's eyelids drooping.

"You have to stay awake Merlin."

The servant twitched in surprise.  
"Oh, hi Gwen, when'dju getere?"

"Lived here all my life."  
The queen smiled at him softly.

"Outside?"

Clearly this was not the time to be joking with the man.

Arthur sighed.  
"Do you remember anything about what happened to you Merlin?"

The peasant frowned, pursing his lips in a way that would have been humorous were it not for the bruise spreading from the dark bump currently disrupting his silhouette.

"I thin' there was a flying... goat?"

The royal didn't know if this was a product of the man's damaged brain or if it had actually happened- that's what kind of day it had been.

"Anything else?"

"My head... a-splode."  
The injured man crossed his eyes and rolled them upward as if he were looking for evidence of the occurrence.

"Yes, it seems you've had a bit of a knock upside your face."

Brow furrowed in confusion, Merlin asked:  
"Why wo' somun knock on my face? Doesn' even have a- door."

"..."

Arthur looked around, imploring anyone else to come up with some kind of response.  
They seemed too busy trying not to laugh at his expression.

Fortunately for the king, Gaius returned at that moment with a few vials clutched in his weathered hand.  
Percival helped prop the patient up, apologizing as the younger man's battered side twinged.

"Drink this, Merlin. It will help you stay awake."

The invalid grabbed the glass with his good hand, downing the liquid before grimacing and asking "why wo-die wanna do- tha'?"

"That's something you should ask _before_ drinking the potion, mate."  
Gwaine chuckled at Merlin's look of disgust as another concoction was pressed into his hand.

"Wha-ziss?"

"Now you're learning."

"Hush Gwaine."  
Gwen swatted the grinning knight though she too wore a small smile at her friend's antics.

"This will help with the pain" Gaius explained patiently.

Merlin shook his head.  
"Dun' hurt."

"It will."

The affirmation effectively sobered up the gathered companions, who now looked on with pity.

"Don' wannit" the servant said firmly, unaware that he resembled nothing so much as a small child refusing to eat his vegetables.

"Just drink it, idiot, before we have to force you" Arthur commanded.

The servant huffed but gave in, swallowing the whole thing at once and nearly gagging at the taste.

"Tryin' kill me?!" He gasped.

"No, but we could if you like."

"Arthur!"

The sovereign looked sheepish when his wife's admonition caused him to notice Merlin's look of moderate horror.

"I was joking, Merlin. You're safe- no one's trying to kill you."

The slim man only looked slightly comforted by that assurance.  
Arthur found himself feeling a new appreciation for his manservant's usual wit.

"Alright Merlin, I have to splint your arm now- it's probably going to hurt."

"Bu' I took the po-shun!" He protested petulantly.

"Yes, but you may still feel this. It'll be better once it's done."

"S'fine _now_" the pale man insisted, nonetheless staying still as his surrogate father braced the limb; brief flashes of pain on his face being the only indication of his suffering.

"There, now if someone could watch over him- I'll need to check the progress of his head injury every now and then but he should be fine while I see to the other victims."

"Of course, Gaius- thank you."

The physician smiled warmly at his king.  
"It is my duty and my joy Sire."

As he shuffled off the remaining watchers set up a rotation, Gwen and Arthur sitting up with Merlin first while the rest caught some sleep nearby.

And if Arthur clutched his wife's hand so tightly both of their knuckles were white, Merlin certainly didn't notice- he was much too distracted by his new discovery.

"Where's my shirt?"


	5. Wait, that's it?

A/N: Ten points to anyone who caught the Strongbad reference last chapter ;)  
Shameless self-promotion: To all of you who enjoyed concussed!Merlin last chapter, check out my one-shot "A Moment Aside" for concussed&drugged!Merlin :)

Nance: It is my opinion that Gwen _has_ to have a good sense of humor to put up with Arthur- even if she isn't particularly good at making jokes.

And now... SURPRISE EPILOGUE!  
Got a bit out of hand and went further than I intended, but once again that's pretty normal for me.  
I'm not even going to pretend there was any justification for the last part- it basically typed itself.

* * *

Despite his constant attempts to get up and 'dance with the unicorns' or 'help Arthur get himself unstuck from the privy- can't you hear him yelling?' Merlin recovered quite nicely and was soon making clandestine night missions to magically help with the rebuilding efforts.

The death toll had been miraculously low, all of them people from the lower town who had lived near the wall where it had been breached.

His surviving books having been retrieved from his tower, Gaius had researched and found some small mention of the phenomenon- apparently called a 'whirlwind' or 'cyclone'. There had even been some reference to it as a 'landspout'- this making more sense to Arthur, who had witnessed a waterspout once when sailing with his father.

At least it hadn't been sorcery (for perhaps the first time in the course of Arthur's life).

And so months passed, houses were rebuilt, Gaius had a new tower that was the spitting-image of the previous one, and life returned to normal. As normal as it ever was.

Several months after that magic was legalized due to some typical events that really don't need to be gone into, and Merlin's secret was revealed to a resounding lack of surprise (other than his own and that of Gaius who nearly had a heart attack).

That being the case, the new royal adviser and expert on all things magical returned to the forest and set the detached tower to rights; using it as a safe, isolated location to perform experiments and fickle spells.

Once the last of his Camelotian companions had passed from the earth, Merlin moved into the tower and spent his time surrounded by the familiar sights and smells of his youth. Sometimes it was too much and he would wander the world for a few decades, catching up on all the new innovations and helping out where he could; but for the most part he was content to wait, only involving himself in local affairs.

A new settlement sprang up near his overgrown tower after the fall of Camelot; it was small and close-knit, he liked it.

He became a bit of a legend in the village, the kind old man who seemed to have been around forever and may or may not be magical.

It was mostly the children he shared his magic with- the majority of them dismissing the memories as the fancy of youth when they grew into adulthood.

But every now and then there were those who held onto their belief and would, on occasion, come to him to perform a small bit of spellwork or a healing when things were desperate (Merlin had, at one time, served as official healer for the village but had long since fallen behind on medical practices of the day).

And so it was that, more than a millennium after saying 'farewell' to his best friend, the ancient man became partially responsible for bringing him back into the world.

It was a rainy night when the prematurely-balding and frantic man burst through the front door (it hadn't taken Merlin long to decide using a window as the entrance for the rest of time simply wouldn't do), very pregnant wife in his arms.

The warlock's eyebrows nearly hit the roof.  
He had met both of them when they were younger and had his suspicions- but these two were now clear copies of their former selves.

He felt a stirring of hope as he looked at the blond woman's swollen stomach.

"Lie her on the table."  
It was a perfectly nice padded table made for medical treatment- no need to hold onto _all_ of the things of the past.

Uther started babbling uncontrollably, clearly out of his head with panic.  
"She's early, we didn't expect- and then she... there was no way we would make it to the hospital in the city and she _insisted-_"

"Alright, calm down. Here, stand on this side and hold her hand. There's nothing to be worried about."

His gentle tone seemed to work and the once-king-now-accountant gripped his wife's hand tenderly.

Merlin took a deep breath.  
Could this finally be it?

Wanting to prevent a repeat of past events, he extended his magic and soothed Ygraine into near-painlessness as he felt the babe within, guiding the birth with a flood of golden power.

Less than an hour later a smiling couple was cradling their new child as Merlin whispered "welcome back, Arthur."


End file.
